The Robber and the Jew

Overview

Robbers wait by the roadside ready to spring upon a series of passing travellers, gleefully hiding their stolen plunder in a hollow tree. When a Jew comes along with a bag full of gold, the villains treat him worse than the others and tie him to the tree. One of the earliest surviving depictions of a Jew in British cinema, this comedy short reflects antisemitic stereotypes prevalent at the time, which played on fears of the 'Other'.